I Saw a Werewolf With a Chinese Menu in His Hand

Congratulations to Charlie Mitchell for correctly naming "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger as the Monday Song of the Day.

As I alluded to in last night's post, I'm back off of the wagon, or is it back on the wagon? I always remember that Seinfeld episode where they discuss whether it is on the wagon or off the wagon, but I don't remember what conclusion they came to in the end.

Either way, I've started running once again. I still remember leaning out of Angela Meyer's 4Runner on the way back from Austin after completing the Austin Marathon and simply puking my guts out. Granted, I downed two large Fruit Punch Gatorades and 2 whole wheat bagels much too soon after crossing the finish line, but at the time I did some extensive soul searching about running.

My apartment window at ACU faced the major jogging path on campus, and I remember looking out the window in those weeks after the marathon and just laughing at the poor saps who were out there running. I would think to myself, "If those jokers only knew how much pain and suffering that we can willingly inflict on ourselves, there's no way they would be out there." In time though, I came to realize that was exactly why I was out there in the first place.

I will never forget what my Dad told me in the days following the marathon. He could not make the trip to Austin with my Mom because he was very sick on the weekend of the race. It was a bittersweet moment to cross the finish line and to not see him there along with the rest of my family and friends. I will always remember Patrick and Cole running that last 10k with me, but when I came across the finish line, I just wanted to see my parents. My Dad told me that he admired the fact that I did not quit on the day of the race despite severe cramping that made me want to stop around Mile 22.

The reason that meant so much is because that race came at the end of a very difficult period for me. I had just gone through a messy breakup and had spent my entire Christmas break moping around the house. My parents' constant encouragement in the face of that trial was echoed with their words after the marathon.

That's it. Maybe I started running again this past week simply because I have a flat back tire on my bike, but I think there's something more at work here. Running has allowed me to focus and push in the face of some very difficult periods and I am back at it again.